"I think you're reading
a little too much into the word maintained, which does not necessarily always
come with the word "simply" attached or implied. It was not meant as an insult.
I thought the concert was fantastic (and I thought I made that clear). But the
Oregon symphony has not played in New York before: I know it (like all my
colleagues) from the DePreist recordings, which I always found very impressive.
I don't hear this orchestra week in and week out in concert - nor am I, of
course, privy to the rehearsal process, which gives you a particular perspective
that most listeners won't have. I can only react to what I hear, in the context
of what I've heard before, and provide an honest reaction. Start playing here
every year, and I'll write about the differences I hear then. --Allan"

On Facebook, Noble jokes, "I will not plan on making my own New York
debut any time soon. :-)"

Their exchange reveals the two sometimes divergent worlds of critic and performer. The critic has never heard the orchestra live, he's impressed and tries to give readers some context to what he's hearing. He does not know how the orchestra got to this point; he knows only their recordings and what he hears at the concert.

On the other hand, the players are surprised and disappointed that, after eight years of back-to-the-studs remodeling, the critic doesn't notice the shiny new fixtures and gleaming appliances. Isn't this way better?

Kozinn's impulse was to credit the orchestra, not slight it. I understand why he used DePreist's recordings as context. But Kalmar has not "maintained" this group. As sonically impressive as the DePreist CDs are, Kalmar has been unusually successful at getting the players to shed their vagueness, their generalized stylistic approach and their blurred vision. As I wrote yesterday,

"Kalmar has not maintained the
orchestra admirably. He has created a different orchestra and I think DePreist,
who departed in 2003, would be the first to acknowledge that. No maintenance
about it -- this is a group that now plays with more acute rhythmic precision,
more clarity, more informed style, particularly in Mozart and Haydn, and more
extreme dynamics and tempos. It's a virtuoso band these days."